The Effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I Classroom

This study examined the effectiveness of a classroom assessment technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom using a quasi-quantitative research design methodology. A single university, single discipline, single professor and single class setting was utilized to minimize confounding variables and locate all data under a single institutional culture. Purposive homogenous sampling was utilized to select Calculus I students for the treatment and control groups. The data were analyzed using statistical methods to test the hypothesized relationships between the treatment group which was the Calculus I students who used the classroom assessment technique, and the control group which was the Calculus I students who did not use the classroom assessment technique. The problem of too many college freshman that major in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) and fail to succeed, is linked to the lack of mathematical skills. More specifically, the low retention rate of freshmen STEM majors corresponds to the lack of student success in Calculus I, which is typically the first math course for the freshmen STEM major. If calculus is the linchpin to success in the STEM disciplines, then how it is typically taught and assessed has significance in understanding and mitigating this problem. There is a dearth of studies in the literature regarding the effectiveness of certain classroom assessment techniques posited by past researchers, and previous studies underscore the need for additional research. At present, there are no known studies of these specific techniques in the Calculus I classroom. This study intended to add to the literature of higher education by analyzing the effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom and comparing the findings to previous studies. The ultimate intention of this study was to contribute to the national chronicle that seeks to improve student learning and student success in the STEM disciplines. Results of the analysis were null findings. The final results indicated that the Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) tested did not make a significant difference

The Effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I Classroom

This study examined the effectiveness of a classroom assessment technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom using a quasi-quantitative research design methodology. A single university, single discipline, single professor and single class setting was utilized to minimize confounding variables and locate all data under a single institutional culture. Purposive homogenous sampling was utilized to select Calculus I students for the treatment and control groups. The data were analyzed using statistical methods to test the hypothesized relationships between the treatment group which was the Calculus I students who used the classroom assessment technique, and the control group which was the Calculus I students who did not use the classroom assessment technique. The problem of too many college freshman that major in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) and fail to succeed, is linked to the lack of mathematical skills. More specifically, the low retention rate of freshmen STEM majors corresponds to the lack of student success in Calculus I, which is typically the first math course for the freshmen STEM major. If calculus is the linchpin to success in the STEM disciplines, then how it is typically taught and assessed has significance in understanding and mitigating this problem. There is a dearth of studies in the literature regarding the effectiveness of certain classroom assessment techniques posited by past researchers, and previous studies underscore the need for additional research. At present, there are no known studies of these specific techniques in the Calculus I classroom. This study intended to add to the literature of higher education by analyzing the effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom and comparing the findings to previous studies. The ultimate intention of this study was to contribute to the national chronicle that seeks to improve student learning and student success in the STEM disciplines. Results of the analysis were null findings. The final results indicated that the Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) tested did not make a significant difference

The Effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I Classroom

This study examined the effectiveness of a classroom assessment technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom using a quasi-quantitative research design methodology. A single university, single discipline, single professor and single class setting was utilized to minimize confounding variables and locate all data under a single institutional culture. Purposive homogenous sampling was utilized to select Calculus I students for the treatment and control groups. The data were analyzed using statistical methods to test the hypothesized relationships between the treatment group which was the Calculus I students who used the classroom assessment technique, and the control group which was the Calculus I students who did not use the classroom assessment technique. The problem of too many college freshman that major in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) and fail to succeed, is linked to the lack of mathematical skills. More specifically, the low retention rate of freshmen STEM majors corresponds to the lack of student success in Calculus I, which is typically the first math course for the freshmen STEM major. If calculus is the linchpin to success in the STEM disciplines, then how it is typically taught and assessed has significance in understanding and mitigating this problem. There is a dearth of studies in the literature regarding the effectiveness of certain classroom assessment techniques posited by past researchers, and previous studies underscore the need for additional research. At present, there are no known studies of these specific techniques in the Calculus I classroom. This study intended to add to the literature of higher education by analyzing the effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom and comparing the findings to previous studies. The ultimate intention of this study was to contribute to the national chronicle that seeks to improve student learning and student success in the STEM disciplines. Results of the analysis were null findings. The final results indicated that the Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) tested did not make a significant difference

The Effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I Classroom

This study examined the effectiveness of a classroom assessment technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom using a quasi-quantitative research design methodology. A single university, single discipline, single professor and single class setting was utilized to minimize confounding variables and locate all data under a single institutional culture. Purposive homogenous sampling was utilized to select Calculus I students for the treatment and control groups. The data were analyzed using statistical methods to test the hypothesized relationships between the treatment group which was the Calculus I students who used the classroom assessment technique, and the control group which was the Calculus I students who did not use the classroom assessment technique. The problem of too many college freshman that major in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) and fail to succeed, is linked to the lack of mathematical skills. More specifically, the low retention rate of freshmen STEM majors corresponds to the lack of student success in Calculus I, which is typically the first math course for the freshmen STEM major. If calculus is the linchpin to success in the STEM disciplines, then how it is typically taught and assessed has significance in understanding and mitigating this problem. There is a dearth of studies in the literature regarding the effectiveness of certain classroom assessment techniques posited by past researchers, and previous studies underscore the need for additional research. At present, there are no known studies of these specific techniques in the Calculus I classroom. This study intended to add to the literature of higher education by analyzing the effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom and comparing the findings to previous studies. The ultimate intention of this study was to contribute to the national chronicle that seeks to improve student learning and student success in the STEM disciplines. Results of the analysis were null findings. The final results indicated that the Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) tested did not make a significant difference

The Effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I Classroom

This study examined the effectiveness of a classroom assessment technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom using a quasi-quantitative research design methodology. A single university, single discipline, single professor and single class setting was utilized to minimize confounding variables and locate all data under a single institutional culture. Purposive homogenous sampling was utilized to select Calculus I students for the treatment and control groups. The data were analyzed using statistical methods to test the hypothesized relationships between the treatment group which was the Calculus I students who used the classroom assessment technique, and the control group which was the Calculus I students who did not use the classroom assessment technique. The problem of too many college freshman that major in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) and fail to succeed, is linked to the lack of mathematical skills. More specifically, the low retention rate of freshmen STEM majors corresponds to the lack of student success in Calculus I, which is typically the first math course for the freshmen STEM major. If calculus is the linchpin to success in the STEM disciplines, then how it is typically taught and assessed has significance in understanding and mitigating this problem. There is a dearth of studies in the literature regarding the effectiveness of certain classroom assessment techniques posited by past researchers, and previous studies underscore the need for additional research. At present, there are no known studies of these specific techniques in the Calculus I classroom. This study intended to add to the literature of higher education by analyzing the effectiveness of a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) in the Calculus I classroom and comparing the findings to previous studies. The ultimate intention of this study was to contribute to the national chronicle that seeks to improve student learning and student success in the STEM disciplines. Results of the analysis were null findings. The final results indicated that the Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) tested did not make a significant difference

A serological investigation of caseous lymphadenitis in four flocks of sheep

A double antibody sandwich ELISA developed by ID-DLO, Lelystad to detect Corynebocterium pseudotuberculosis infection was used on 329 sheep from four pedigree Suffolk flocks in which clinical cases of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) had occurred. At subsequent necropsy, typical CLA lesions were seen in 133 sheep, and the diagnosis was confirmed on culture. Lesions were most commonly seen in lungs (n = 46), parotid lymph nodes (n = 44), prescapular lymph nodes (n = 38) and mediastinal lymph nodes (n = 31). The sensitivity of the ELISA test for detecting culture-positive sheep was 0.88, while the specificity of the test was 0.55. The antibody ELISA detected 87.5 per cent of sheep that had CLA lesions restricted to internal organs only. It was concluded that the ELISA test has a valuable role in detecting sheep with both clinical and subclinical CLA

A new interpretation of Pikaia reveals the origins of the chordate body plan.

Our understanding of the evolutionary origin of Chordata, one of the most disparate and ecologically significant animal phyla, is hindered by a lack of unambiguous stem-group relatives. Problematic Cambrian fossils that have been considered as candidate chordates include vetulicolians, Yunnanozoon, and the iconic Pikaia. However, their phylogenetic placement has remained poorly constrained, impeding reconstructions of character evolution along the chordate stem lineage. Here we reinterpret the morphology of Pikaia, providing evidence for a gut canal and, crucially, a dorsal nerve cord-a robust chordate synapomorphy. The identification of these structures underpins a new anatomical model of Pikaia that shows that this fossil was previously interpreted upside down. We reveal a myomere configuration intermediate between amphioxus and vertebrates and establish morphological links between Yunnanozoon, Pikaia, and uncontroversial chordates. In this light, we perform a new phylogenetic analysis, using a revised, comprehensive deuterostome dataset, and establish a chordate stem lineage. We resolve vetulicolians as a paraphyletic group comprising the earliest diverging stem chordates, subtending a grade of more derived stem-group chordates comprising Yunnanozoon and Pikaia. Our phylogenetic results reveal the stepwise acquisition of characters diagnostic of the chordate crown group. In addition, they chart a phase in early chordate evolution defined by the gradual integration of the pharyngeal region with a segmented axial musculature, supporting classical evolutionary-developmental hypotheses of chordate origins and revealing a "lost chapter" in the history of the phylum. [Abstract copyright: Crown Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Visible camera cryostat design and performance for the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS)

We describe the design and performance of the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) visible camera cryostats. SuMIRe PFS is a massively multi-plexed ground-based spectrograph consisting of four identical spectrograph modules, each receiving roughly 600 fibers from a 2394 fiber robotic positioner at the prime focus. Each spectrograph module has three channels covering wavelength ranges 380~nm -- 640~nm, 640~nm -- 955~nm, and 955~nm -- 1.26~um, with the dispersed light being imaged in each channel by a f/1.07 vacuum Schmidt camera. The cameras are very large, having a clear aperture of 300~mm at the entrance window, and a mass of $\sim$280~kg. In this paper we describe the design of the visible camera cryostats and discuss various aspects of cryostat performance

T Cell Activation Markers and African Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups among Non-Hispanic Black Participants in AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study 384

Introduction: Mitochondrial function influences T cell dynamics and is affected by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation. We previously reported an association between African mtDNA haplogroup L2 and less robust CD4 cell recovery on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in non-Hispanic black ACTG 384 subjects. We explored whether additional T cell parameters in this cohort differed by mtDNA haplogroup. Methods: ACTG 384 randomized ART-naïve subjects to two different nucleoside regimens with efavirenz, nelfinavir, or both. CD4 and CD8 memory and activation markers were available at baseline and week 48 on most subjects. mtDNA sequencing was performed on whole blood DNA, and haplogroups were determined. We studied non-Hispanic black subjects with HIV RNA <400 copies/mL at week 48. Analyses included Wilcoxon ranksum test and linear regression. Results: Data from 104 subjects were included. Major African mtDNA haplogroups included L1 (N = 25), L2 (N = 31), and L3 (N = 32). Baseline age, HIV RNA, and CD4 cells did not differ between L2 and non-L2 haplogroups. Compared to non-L2 haplogroups, L2 subjects had lower baseline activated CD4 cells (median 12% vs. 17%; p = 0.03) and tended toward lower activated CD8 cells (41% vs. 47%; p = 0.06). At 48 weeks of ART, L2 subjects had smaller decreases in activated CD4 cells (−4% vs. −11%; p = 0.01), and smaller CD4 cell increases (+95 vs. +178; p = 0.002). In models adjusting for baseline age, CD4 cells, HIV RNA, and naïve-to-memory CD4 cell ratio, haplogroup L2 was associated with lower baseline (p = 0.04) and 48-week change in (p = 0.01) activated CD4 cells. Conclusions: Among ART-naïve non-Hispanic blacks, mtDNA haplogroup L2 was associated with baseline and 48-week change in T cell activation, and poorer CD4 cell recovery. These data suggest mtDNA variation may influence CD4 T cell dynamics by modulating T cell activation. Further study is needed to replicate these associations and identify mechanisms